Projectile or shell for toy cannons and guns.



W. 0. MCDANIEL.l

PBOJECTILE' 0R SHIELL FOR TOY CANNONS AND GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3l. |917. I 1,285,287. Patent-ed Nov. 19; 191s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER O. MODANIEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 SCHROETER BROTHERS HARDWARE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

PROJECTILE OR SHELL FOR TOY CANNONS AND GUNS.

Specification ot Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Application led May 31, 1917. Serial No. 171,957.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALTER O. MCDANIEL, a citizen'of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Projectiles or Shells for Toy Cannons and Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a projectile or shell for toy cannons and guns, and has for its main object to provide a device that looks like a real projectile or shell, and which is so constructed that it produces an explosion lWhen it strikes against the object at which it is fired.

Another object is to provide a projectile or shell for toy cannons and guns that is adapted to be loaded with a paper percussion cap of the kind used in toy cap pistols, and which comprises means for exploding the cap when the projectile strikes the object being shot at.

And still another object is to provide a projectile or shell of the character referred to that can be loaded easily with a paper percussion cap, and which is so constructed that there is no liability of the cap becoming displaced or dropping out of the projectile when the projectile is fired from a toy cannon or gun. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal sectional view, illustrating my improved projectile or shell arranged in the barrel of a toy cannon in readiness to be fired or projected from the mouth of the barrel.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said projectile. Y

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of same; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, illustrating a slight modification of my invention.

cap or will strike the cap a sharp enough blow to explode same when the device comes in contact with the object at which it is fired. I prefer to make the device cylindricalshaped and provide one end of same .with a tapered or convexed nose so that externally the appearance of the device will be similar to the projectiles and shells used in real cannons and guns. My improved projectile or shell is capable of being used in any kind of a toy cannon or gun operated by aspring, compressed air or other means, and while it is preferably so designed that the general appearance of same is somewhat similar to real projectiles and shells, I wish it to be understood that the external appearance of the device is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates a member, preferably of cylindrical shape and provided at one end with a tapered or convexed nose B. The member A is so yconstructed that a paper percussion cap :v can be introduced into same between two cooperating surfaces 1 and 2 that cause the cap to explode when the forward movement of the member A is arrested by the nose B of same striking against the object at which the projectile is red. In the projectile shown in Figs. l to 3. inclusive, the surface 1 is formed by the front end of a movable device C that is reciprocatingly mounted in a center bore 3 in the member A. and the coperating surface 2 is formed b v the front end Wall of said bore 3. The wall of the member A is cut away at 4, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to permit the cap m to be introduced into the bore 3 between the surfaces 1 and 2, and a spring 5 is preferablv arranged inside of the member A between the device C and the rear end wall of the bore 3, so as to cause said device C to hold the cap in operative position against the surface 2 when the projectile is fired from a toy cannon or gun. The device 'C is preferably provided with a finger piece 6 formed conveniently by a pin that projects outwardly through the cut-out portion in the member A, so as to enable the device C to be moved away from the surface 2 when it is desired to load the projectile with a cap. After the projectile has been loaded by placing a paper percussion cap a: between the coperating surfaces 1 and 2. on same, the projectile is introduced luto a toy cannon or gun and tired bore 3a, so as to cause the device C to clamp.

from thebarrel of the gun toward a wall or c the object y, the cap will be exploded byl the impact of the device C. The device C is preferably made of metal, so that it will be heavy enough to impart a sharp blow to the cap when the nose B' of the projectile strikes the object being ired at, and it is also preierable to use a metallic part to form the surface 2 or anvil against which the cap is exploded by the impact of the device C.

In the projectile shown in Figs 1 to 3,- in'- clusive, the nose B is rigidly connected to the member AI that forms the body portion of the projectile, and the device C is arranged so that it can move longitudinally of `said body portion, but it is not essential that the projectile be formedin this manner, for the same result can be obtained by connecting the hammer or iring device with the nose portion of the projectile and mounting said elements in the body portion of the lprojectile in such a manner that the body portion will move longitudinally with relation to the nose and ring device when the nose strikes the object being fired at. In Fig. 4 of the drawings l have illustrated a projectile or shell constructed in this manner, the nose portion B of same being connected with the hammer or iring device C by means of a rod 7 which passes through a hole in the front end vvall of the center bore 3a in the body portion A of the projectile. The member A is provided adjacent its rear end with a cut out portion 4 so as to enable a papery percussion cap .to be inserted between the rear end 2 of the device C and a surface l formed by the rear end Wall of the bore 3, The rod 6 projects forwardly through the front end wall of said bore and a spring 5a is arranged on said rod between the device C and the ront end Wall of the the cap in operative position between the cooperating surfaces 1a and 2a, said rod 7 being long enough so that the rear end or the nose B will be normally spaced slightly away from the front end of the member A. When .the nose portion B of the projectile strikes the object y being fired at, the impact ofthe surface 1n on the cap causes the cap to explode.

Any suitable material can be used to form the projectile, but I prefer .to form the body portion of the projectile from a tubular member, preferably constructed of fiber, whose rear end is closed by a plug 8 and Whose front end is closed by the nose portion B in the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the nose portion B and also the device 'C both being formed of metal.

A device of the construction above described looks very similar to a real projectile or shell, and it operates in a manner more or less similar to a real projectile or shell, in that it produces an explosion when it strikes against the object being red at. lt

can be used in practicall any kind of a toy fire arm; it can be manu actured and sold at a low cost and it forms an amusing and safe toy for children.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A toy projectile or shell, consisting of a member constructed to represent a real projectile and comprising a tubular shaped body portion provided with a tapered nose portion that forms a closure for one end of said body portion, an opening in one side of said body portion through which a paper percussion cap can be inserted, a metallic striking device reciprocatingly mounted in said body portion and provided with a inger piece that projects laterally through said opening, a metallic surface on said body portion that coperates with said striking evice to explode the cap when said nose portion strikes against an object that ar rests the forward movement of said member, and a coiled spring that forces said striking device toward said metallic surface.

2. A toy projectile or shell, consisting of a tubular-shaped member formed of fiber, a

'metal device having a convexed or tapered nose portion that forms a closure for one end of said member, 'a plug arranged in the opposite end ot said member, a metallic striking device reciprocatingly mounted in said member, a cut-out portion in said member through which a paper percussion cap can be arranged in operative position between said striking device and the metallic device that closes one end of said member, and a coiled spring arranged between said striking device and the plug that closes the opposite end of said member.

WAL'IJEno. MGDAMEL. 

